Heroes for Hire Ep 1 Strength
by Heroes For Hire
Summary: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first story! Just keep in mind, that my marvel universe may differ from the original one (for creative reasons). If you feel the need to contact me about anything, the info is in my bio. Luke Cage is forever changed, when he meets a mysterious robber with powers just like his own. Together, they will form a team, to stop those who did them wrong.


Heroes for Hire S1E1

"Strength"

By: Anon Anon Edited by: Anon Anon's friend

A police car broke the silence of the night in a small neighborhood in Harlem. It wasn't that it had its siren on, rather the loud, grinding noise of the engine and the ruined gearbox.

The car stopped at a small one-story, brick house and parked in the driveway. An elderly black lady sat on the porch in anticipation, as the car screeched to a halt. The door opened to reveal a hefty, caucasian officer escorting Lucas Cage out.

He was wearing a goldenrod tank top, and had a shaved head, save his unkempt beard. The officer said quietly to Lucas, "The professor wanted you in good condition for the field" "Whatever, man" Lucas replied, as uninterested as possible.

His mother heaved in excitement, and ran down the stone pathway to greet him. She was significantly shorter, and much smaller than Lucas was. However, she always seemed able to kill him with her hugs. "Oh! I missed you so much, Luke, come inside. Is that okay, officer?" She asked.

"That was the sole purpose of coming here" replied the officer snidely. "Don't you sass me, or I-" Luke's mom started, while turning; but the officer had already hopped in his car and driven away.

The two walked inside, Luke being quite careful while closing the screen. "Officer Bradley can be too sassy sometimes" Luke's mom muttered. Luke ignored that, and asked, "You got any food?" "Oh yes, I remembered to make you some" She replied, pulling a turkey out of the oven. "Daaaaaamn" Luke exclaimed, sitting down at the table.

"I hope it's still warm" She said, looking a tad worried. "No problem" Luke replied, "It's just great to be back. By the way, how's Dad?" "Awfully busy with work" Mrs. Cage responded. "I bet dad will be real pissed at me when he gets back though" He said.

"Remind me again, what **WERE** you in jail for?" Mrs. Cage asked. "Mom, the weed wasn't mine" Luke pleaded, but his mom responded, "I'm not the one that needs convincing" "Yeah, you right" He said. "You look a little bigger than the last time I saw you" Mrs. Cage observed.

"Oh! Well, you see mom, you gotta keep this on the down-low. I got some tests when I was-" Luke started to whisper when he heard a knock on the door.

"What the hell was that?" Luke inquired, and his mom went to go get the door. He looked around the corner to the front hall to see who it was, when suddenly the door burst open to a grungy black man holding a gun.

"YO! Mom, who tha fuck is this guy?" Luke shouted, standing up. "Sit down boy! Before someone gets really hurt" The intruder snarled. "Sorry, my bad" Luke said jokingly, sitting down. The intruder glided over to Luke, and put the gun to his head.

"Now, gimme the cash, quickly now" the intruder hastily ordered. "Leroy, I swear get the hell outta my house!" Mrs. Cage roared with unparalleled fury. "Shut the HELL UP ya' filthy whore!" Leroy screamed equally loud, pointing the gun now at Mrs. Cage.

"Woah, don't ever cross the line like that again, or I'll-"Luke threatened, but was interrupted by a "Or what?" from Leroy. "This" Lucas said, smirking.

He roughly picked the man up by his collar, and dragged him out to the porch. The bewildered mother followed Luke worriedly, calling out his name.

Luke placed the man down harshly on his feet; Leroy didn't hesitate afterwards to fire off a round. The gun's *Bang!* echoed as the bullet ricocheted off of Luke's forehead and into the darkness. "What the-?!" The man cried, as Lucas slammed his fist into the man's gut.

His fist hit Leroy so hard he flew across the street and through the front door of the house that resided there. He didn't get up. "What the-? How did-? Oh my…" Mrs. Cage started, as people all over the street started to exit their houses to see what happened.

"To answer your question mom, I just swung" answered Luke.

…...

The next morning revealed a situation all too familiar for Luke as the police were questioning him and his parents over last night's incident. Mr. Cage seemed rather angry at Luke, and Mrs. Cage seemed dumbstruck over the fact that Luke was an enhanced individual.

"So Luke was defending you from whom?" Officer Bradley asked to Mrs. Cage. "Doesn't matter who, in fact, you should send Luke's sorry ass back to jail" Mr. Cage barked angrily. "Dad! For the last time I was defending Mom from some bitch-ass thug" Luke shouted.

"Watch your language, Luke" Mr. Cage ordered, and Luke immediately quieted down. "His name was, ummm, Leroy, and.." Mrs. Cage started shakily, "He's robbed me once or twice". She broke down into tears, as Mr. Cage comforted her. "He robbed US sweetie, but you should've told me about it earlier. You know how friendly I am with Mr. Bradley" Mr. Cage affirmed.

After all the tears had been shed, and the police had left, Mr. Cage turned to Luke and said, "So they turned you into a monster? And here I thought you were actually getting downtime for your misdeeds"

"It's not like that, and please, stop sounding so disappointed" Luke said defensively. "You deserve jail for the amount of times I told you not to hang with those thugs!" Mr. Cage shouted. He calmed down, realizing how rude he seemed to come across as.

"They made me to be a hero; someone who can make a difference to those suffering" Luke said, "I'm sick of hanging with the baddies".

His dad smiled back at him, patted Luke's shoulder, and said, "If you're stuck with whatever you have, you always have to remember to use it responsibly"

"Always man", Luke said, as his mom came around saying, "Honey, the police are back". "AGAIN?!" Luke and his dad cried. "They're asking if we know anything about a masked burglar" Mrs. Cage explained.

"I'll be there" Mr. Cage said, and walked to the porch. Luke didn't feel like seeing the police for the third time in two days, so he trudged on to his room.

He'd still remembered what it looked like after these couple months. It was small and quite cluttered, with a skylight, and a large southerly window, which were both a huge 'screw you' to sleep sometimes. He picked up the trash on the floor, and put it in his empty trash bin.

He subsequently sat in his bed, and stared outside to his backyard, and the garden, which looked pretty in the morning. Suddenly, Luke heard the sound of crunching leaves and a creaking fence coming from beyond his line of sight in the backyard

 _I wonder what that could be?_ , thought Luke, sneaking to the back door. He opened it as quietly as he possibly could and saw a man standing almost right in front of him. He was tall, and by the looks of it Asian, and clad in all black. He was also wearing a rather bulky backpack, which caused Luke to assume that this was, in fact, the burglar the police had been looking for.

The man was panting and sweating hard, and since Luke knew this guy had to be the burglar, he thought he should make his move and take him out.

He stepped into the backyard, and the asian turned saying, "Really? Are you even trying at this point?" "Who, me?" Luke asked. The asian man sighed, and proceeded to run to the next yard over.

"DUDE! Wait!" Luke called after the man, as he leaped over the fence to follow. Luke was determined not to lose his new adversary, but the fence jumping was a lot harder than it looked, especially because each fence was about 5 feet tall.

The asian easily vaulted over each fence, looking back only once to Luke. Luke realized that the line of houses on this street were running out, and as long as the police heard the commotion, this burglar was as good as arrested.

But something unexpected happened as the asian darted for the large hedge located at the end of the street. The hedge was at least 6 feet tall, and fairly wide too. The burglar darted into the hedge silently, and Luke came to a halt, silently cursing himself.

He charged through the hedge, leaving a Luke-Cage-sized hole in the side of it. But when he reached the other side, he didn't see the black clad asian."Dammit, super dammit" Luke grumbled, as he climbed the hill that was his street back home.

…

Later that day, Luke got a text from his girlfriend, Jessica Jones, to come over to her place, and to also head to the grocery store. Since Luke didn't have a ride of sorts (he was saving up for a really nice second-hand Chrysler), he walked.

But having the physique that Luke has, he jogged to the store in less than 5 minutes flat. But when he got there, he saw three cop cars parked askew in front of the store.

"Are you freaking serious?!" Luke grumbled, rushing to the commotion in the store front. When he ran through the electric doors, he saw three cops pointing tasers at the black clad asian man from earlier before. "Cease and desist!" One cop yelled. "I'll cease and desist when you're in hell" The man in black retorted. One cop fired, but he backflipped to the top of a shelf, calling "Your fat-asses couldn't catch me in a million years."

In his hand, Luke noticed, was his backpack, filled to the brim with food goods. "Really?" Luke called to the robber. "At least I'm trying" The robber said, making a dash for the door. "After him!" one cop called. The robber passed by Luke, giving him a face he knew all too well.

It was a face of utter desperation, one he had seen many times in the mirror of a 4x4 cell. Luke, in that very moment, felt a tinge of sorrow for this stranger. He simply let him go by, watching as the robber got away.

"What the hell are you doing?" One police officer asked him. "Being a citizen, by letting the police do **their** work" Luke responded, walking home and forgetting the groceries.

…

The next day, Luke woke up, went downstairs, had breakfast, and took out the trash. Whilst doing so, he reflected on the past couple days, and how his life would be forever changed. Reality hit him when he opened the large garbage bin to see the asian man's backpack inside.

"What the-? How'd this get in here?" Luke thought. He decided he should probably return the stolen goods, but Jessica really wanted to meet him today, so he went up to his room, but the backpack under his bed, and went to Jessica's apartment.

"What's up?" Jessica said, as she embraced Luke. "Nothing much, just happy to see my favorite girl" Luke said. "Charming", Jessica replied, "How about we have an all-day Ellis Island date? Y'know, see the Statue, meet new Americans. What do you say?" "Sure, why not?" Luke said.

They spent the good part of 5 hours sightseeing, going up to the (near) top of the Statue of Liberty. Jessica had even bought a knapsack for Luke. It had been the most fun Luke had in awhile. When, the two returned to Luke's place, Jessica embraced him, and gave Luke a pretty nice kiss.

He walked back into his room, and remembered that he had to return the food. _Shit,_ thought Luke, _If I can sneak out before my parents…_ He snuck downstairs, backpack over and shoulder, and proceeded to walk all the way back to the grocery store.

But when he got there, there was (yet again), three police cars parked askew. _What the hell is up with the freaking police in this town?_ Luke wondered. He ducked out behind a neighboring building, to see if he could wait until the police left.

He sat in the dark for about a half-hour, thinking _They make stakeouts look easy in the fucking movies_. Soon, he couldn't bear sitting anymore. He got up, and gently sneaked towards the grocery store. _If I get caught my parents will have a literal heart attack_ Luke thought, breaking into a sprint. He was so close to the entrance of the store. So close.

But then, Luke heard a voice call out, "Hey officers! Looks like I found your burglar right here!" "Sweet Christmas!" Luke shouted, startled. He turned, only to be met with a pretty nasty sucker punch to the face. Luke shook off the pain, and faced his opponent, a teen (from the looks of it) wearing a faded blue hoodie with red sleeves, jeans, and a red mask with slanted (and awfully expressive) white eyes. This opponent was also, for some reason, facing his wrists towards Luke.

"Just because I'm black, does **not** mean that I rob people. Besides, I'm returning this, not stealing it" Luke retorted. "Ummmmm.." The hooded teen said, "So you're not the robber?" "Hell no, but I ain't accepting your apology." Luke said, dashing to the hooded man, and throwing him over his shoulder.

"HEY! WAIT! I'm a good guy, The Scarlet Spider" The hooded teen said. Luke stared at him oddly. "No response, wow, I really need to work on the name" muttered the Scarlet Spider "Oh really? What kind of good guy? The one that beats up good samaritans?" Luke asked rhetorically, as he dodged two punches from the Scarlet Spider. The Spider sweeped Luke's legs, knocking him to the ground, and kicking him in the face.

"AH! Sonuva; I will **not** be beaten by some kid" Luke grumbled, standing up, fists ready. "I'm definitely not a kid" The Spider said, "I'm over 20". "You need to chill the hell out" Luke ordered, tackling the Spider and pummeling him. The Spider wrapped his legs around Luke's middle, flipping and throwing Luke back. "Everyone just calm down!" shouted a police officer, as the others started congregating around the fight, "We'll take you in peacefully if you surrender"

Both Luke and the Spider respectfully ignored the officer, and continued to fight. The spider shot (what seemed to be) some string at Luke's chest. He then proceeded to swing him, sending Luke into the air, and into a cop car, crushing it. Luke groaned, and tried to get up again, but the Scarlet Spider punched him across his face again

"Stay down, final warning" He said. "I can do this all day" Luke moaned, grinning a little. Suddenly, the two heard a loud KEEEEE-YAHHHHH, as a emerald-clad figure, jump-kicked Scarlet Spider in the chest, sending him flying, and tumbling down the road.

Luke turned to look at his savior and saw the asian man from before. But this time he had a yellow mask on, and an emerald green jumpsuit with a dragon insignia on it "Come on" The emerald clad man said, helping Luke up. "It's the robber, get him!" One of the cops said, as the others brandished their guns. "They wouldn't shoot at us.." The emerald clad man said, as he started to run.

"WAIT!" Luke called after him. "Luke!" Officer Bradley called. Luke stopped, and gasped, seeing his father's friend behind him. "Don't make me do this. I don't want to arrest you for real this time" "I'm sorry man, but there is something special about that guy. I want to help him, I need to help him. So let us go. Again, I'm sorry" Luke said, turning.

"Lucas.." Officer Bradley said, watching as Luke and the asian ran down the road. "Send some officers in pursuit" he said, as 4 men got into their cars, sirens screaming.

Luke saw the Scarlet Spider swing over their heads on his stringy substance. "This isn't over!" he called down, as he disappeared. The two ran faster, as they heard the sirens get louder. "This way" the emerald clad man said, taking Luke into a back alley.

They waited, until the sirens were gone, walking until they reached the back of a derelict apartment building. "Just a sec" The other man said, leaping up to the fire escape, and letting it down for Luke. "How did you-? Never mind" Luke asked, as he climbed the fire escape, until they reached a dark room on the 7th floor.

The two entered through the window, and the other man turned on the lights, revealing a quite humble abode. The man removed his mask, and revealed his face to Luke. It was elvish almost, smooth skin with brown eyes. He also had blonde hair, something Luke thought an asian could never have. "Nice place, sorta" Luke proclaimed, as he heard the microwave beep. "Oh yeah, forgot about that. Want some Sabrettes?"

"So, what's your name?" Luke asked, as he bit into another fine New York hot dog. "Who, me?" the asian asked, "The name's Danny. Danny Rand." "As in, Rand Enterprises? My dad used to work there, until...y'know" Luke started. "My dad died?" Danny said, "That's old news man, that happened like 15 years ago." "I know, I'm just sorry" said Luke, "I didn't even though you were still alive".

"Anyways" Danny abruptly stated, "I saw what you can do. You're an enhanced, just like me. I'm curious as to the full extent of your powers, as well as that 'Scarlet Spider', if we can ever make amends. That is why I left my backpack as a bread crumb, and you found it!" Danny said, happily. "What is going on right now? Because I'm as lost as hell" Luke asked.

"You will learn, in time. But first we finish eating. You don't know how hungry I am" Danny stated, picking up a Sabrett and eating it. After the two were done eating, Luke asked, "Hey man, could you by any chance tell me what happened all those years ago in China?" Danny sighed, then said "Possibly, as long as you tell me your origins; I'm quite intrigued as to how you got your powers."

"Okay then, I guess I'll start" Danny said.

…

 _About fifteen years ago, my family, my dad's business partner, Harold Meachum, and I went on a trip to Mount Jomolhari on the Tibetan border. We were about halfway up, when we came to this natural bridge of sorts, over a very long fall with rocks at the bottom. Suddenly a blizzard picked up, and my dad slipped, and was hanging from the edge._

"HELP! Somebody, please!" Mr. Rand called. Danny's mom and Mr. Meachum rushed over to help. "Move aside, I've got this" Mr. Meachum spat. He walked over to the panicked Mr. Rand who was struggling severely to keep a grip on the rocks

Mr. Meachum stood above the other man for a bit, snickering a tiny bit to himself. "What's so goddamn funny?! Just help me up already" Mr. Rand gasped. "It's just so funny", Mr Meachum started, "I've dreamt of this exact situation. And here we are."

He bent down close to Mr. Rand, and asked, "Do you know **WHY** I'm **NOT** going to help you? Because you have everything I don't have. Every day, I walk past your house to see, yet again, your nice car, beautiful wife, wonderful kid, and the list goes on. But **YOU** , what do you do? Turn a blind eye, and see right through my problem because I'm 'rich and entitled'. Money can't buy happiness Randy boy. I'll leave you to ponder on that for a few seconds."

And with that, Mr. Meachum turned and let his partner fall into the abyss. The mountainside echoed the sickening splat of Mr. Rand. Mrs. Rand screamed, whilst crying heavily, and turned to Mr. Meachum.

"C'mon, we're getting off of this mountain" Mr. Meachum stated, approaching the Rands. "NOOO! Get the hell away from me and my son!" Mrs. Rand shouted, as she took Danny's hand, and ran away from the other man.

 _And with that, we ran. Across the mountainside aimlessly; I don't actually think there was a point to it. We ran for what seemed like an hour, until we encountered some of the largest wolves I'd ever seen._

"Stay back Danny, I said STAY BACK!" Mrs. Rand cried, as a wolf charged at her. She simply picked it up, held it above her, and snapped its back, instantly killing the creature. It gave out a sad little yelp, and another wolf came in for the attack. Mrs. Rand threw the corpse at the wolf, knocking it and the charging creature off a cliff face, falling into the abyss.

Now there were 6 more coming, and Mrs. Rand didn't think she could hold them off for long. Danny was shouting at his mom, urging her to run, but she firmly stood her ground. Suddenly, a seventh wolf leaped through the air, and pounced on Mrs. Rand, ending her life, as her windpipe collapsed inwards.

Danny stared at the dead eyes of his mom, knowing that all the nice weekends, and bedtime stories he got would never happen again. It broke him; Danny went screaming over a snow mound to get away.

Over the little rise, there was a sleigh, carrying four buff warriors carrying bows. "Hey, you! Get on, quickly!" One called, as Danny ran for it. One of the wolves tried to give chase, but was shot in the eye by an arrow from one of the mysterious men. Danny hopped on, as the sleigh turned around and sped off.

 _It was the utter saddest day of my life. Before I knew it I'd been whisked away by these strangers to a rickety rope bridge. About halfway across, the cliffside in front of me had changed into a beautiful sprawling city._

"Welcome to the Golden City of K'un-Lun" The man closest to Danny said.

 _After they'd figured out I was the son of Wendell Rand, the lost king of K'un-Lun, they decided to start my training into becoming a K'un-Lun warrior, AND a future king. So, for many years I trained, under the watchful, actually scratch that he's blind, eye of Master Stick. I even met a cute girl named Colleen. Soon, I was strong enough to beat the Dragon King Shao Lao._

There Danny was, in the vast, dark cave facing the large Dragon King himself. They stared into each other's eyes with hatred, and then Shao Lao striked. He moved way faster than Danny imagined a dragon of that size to be capable of.

Danny backflipped over the dragon as he whipped out his sword mid-air and sliced an ear off of it. The dragon roared in pain, as it turned and began to breathe fire. Danny hid behind a rock, and leaned against it seeing the crimson flame sneak past the barriers of his safety.

 _I am literally going to die here,_ thought Danny, _I'm doing this for you Colleen, and especially you Dad._ Danny threw his sword like a boomerang, its blade giving off an umber glow. It came into contact with Shao Lao's eye, tearing it into shreds as blood spurted out.

 _Just go,_ thought Danny. He ran forward, leaping off of a steaming rock through the air. He grabbed his sword out of the thrashing dragon, and slid down the length of its slinky body, until he reached the chest area. He attempted to stab it, but the thick hide shattered the sword.

 _What the-?!_ Danny thought, and he decided in that moment to use his skills to rip out the dragon's heart. He got into form, and swung as hard as he could, and tore straight through.

Shao Lao roared one last time, before falling, and Danny nervously laughed as he began to pull his hand out. He screamed excitedly, his adrenaline causing his legs to shake. He fell to his knees, and asked himself, _So how do I get this iron fist; I finished Shao Lao off, so where is it?_

Suddenly, the dragon's chest started glowing, and Danny felt a pain he had never experienced before. His arm and chest were glowing now, and a symbol started burning into his chest.

"GAHHHH! Please, make it stop" Danny roared through gritted teeth. Then, as fast as it started, it was over. Danny's chest now bore a dragon insignia. "Wha-What happened?" said Danny, as he looked down at a rather bright light on the floor near him.

He looked down at this light, and realized it was his own clenched fist, that seemed to be on fire? Danny freaked out, trying to put out the fire by punching the dirt beneath. But all that did was create a huge crater beneath. "I'm such an idiot" Danny exclaimed, laughing at himself.

 _After I received the Iron Fist, I decided to return to my master so that I could claim my rightful place on the throne. But, the evil archmage Khan had other plans. He'd always been my father's right hand man, and he tired of mediocrity, so he strived to get me killed so as to claim the throne as his own._

"Like all of the movies" stated Luke frankly. "Too true" Danny sighed.

 _So one day, after a nice date in the park with Colleen, I came to the dojo in which I called home, to found Master Stick dead, and about 5 assassins standing over his dead body. I wasn't sure how to take it, but I'm pretty sure I was mad. Really mad. I told Colleen to get back, but she rushed forward, crushing one man's testicles into mash, and breaking his neck, dumping his limp body on the ground_

 _Holy shit,_ thought Danny, as he saw Colleen literally kill someone in front of him. "Let's go, like now" she said, grabbing Danny's hand, and running. The two scaled a 10 foot wall, and continued running, even when two daggers went whizzing past them.

"What are we going to do?!" Colleen asked. "I'm going to have to run; Khan wants me dead, and I know it." Danny replied. They both turned to face the four remaining adversaries. "Got this?" Danny asked. Colleen just nodded, charging the first guy. He swung, and she spun, grabbing his arm and breaking it, yanking it forwards and backwards. She then flipped this man by his broken arm, knocking another man down with him.

Danny iron-fisted the ground in front of him, sending the two men flying back into a brick wall. "Keep going, the city's entrance is just up ahead." Colleen stated. The two ran, as three more bulkier men jumped out from behind a wall behind the two.

Danny and Colleen decided to split up in the marketplace in front of them, attempting to lose the adversaries. Danny leaped over three consecutive stalls, before continuing to run. When the stalls ended, the two ran into each other, physically. Danny bounced off of Colleen's breasts a little, and the two bumped heads rather hard. They fell to the ground, as the two of the assassins caught up with them.

"You still got this?" Danny said a bit woozily. "Sure thing" Colleen muttered. One of the guardians unsheathed a sword, rushing Colleen with it. "TRAITOR!" the man roared, swinging his sword around. He sliced at her several times, as she dodged most of the swings. The last one made contact, slicing the skin on her bicep, causing her white shirt to be stained with red. She moaned in pain, as the man swung again. She grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted, causing the man to drop his weapon. Danny finished the other one with two good throat punches.

"THIS WAY!" Colleen shouted. The two made it to the gates, where Colleen hugged Danny severely, before he left. "Do you have to go? There's so much we could've done…...so much to still do" Colleen said through tears. "I can't stay here if I want to live, babe" Danny said, giving Colleen a departure kiss, before running towards the bridge. "I'll hold these guys!" She called, as Danny began to run across the rickety bridge he had passed over only ten years ago.

It was a bittersweet moment, really. He looked back to his first love, as she sliced up the remaining guards, and turned to him, giving him a sad glance. Danny reached the other side, when he heard Colleen call, "Take out the bridge!" He looked back one more time to the beautiful city of K'un-Lun, unsure of whether he'd see it ever again. He jumped vertically, slamming his flaming fist into the ground, causing the bridge to tumble into the chasm below.

"And that's how it all ends really" Danny finished, perturbedly unmoved by this retelling. "Holy shit dude" Luke muttered to himself, putting an arm around Danny, "I feel like my story's nothing now"

"Oh, I'd still love to hear it" said Danny. Luke came out of his daydream, said "Oh, my bad", and started to recount his tale.

 _When I was younger, I had this… friend named Willis Stryker. He was a gang leader; well I didn't know that, until it was too late. His name in the underground was 'Diamondback', and he leaded the notorious 'Rivals'._

"What an utterly retarded name" said Danny. "Yeah", said Luke laughing, "It was"

 _Anyways, I spent my whole childhood with this guy; I'd always go to the skate park to hang out and pick up chicks. It was definitely a rougher time of my life. Anyways, my dad was always talking about the killings and robberies the 'Rivals' committed. Some real bad stuff, yo. So bad, at one point, his girlfriend Rachel decided to dump him to confide with me._

 _Personally, our relationship never went anywhere. Nothing to get too serious about, but not for Willis. So one night, when I used my dad's car to take Rachel out for a nice dinner, Willis planted a shit ton of weed in the trunk. I was afterwards arrested for possession of illegal drugs for 3 years. I was so glad my parents didn't get a fine, but at the same time, depressed as all-hell to be stuck in such a horrible place. I had been sent to Seagate Penitentiary, which had one of the worst safety measures in the business._

 _But one day, a man came to me, and told me he was a scientist ready to help me. His name was Dr. Noah Burnstein, and he said that he wanted to try an experiment on me. He took me out of the jail, and to a lab to replicate what he called "Super Soldier Serum". We spent many months there, working tirelessly._

 _He told me his reason for helping me was the fact that his dad had been wrongfully convicted of 1st degree murder, and had been subsequently killed. He said that he didn't want me to end up like him. Soon, he found what he thought to be the right mixture of chemicals in his serum._

 _So he strapped me to this chair like device, and injected me with the serums. It was really painful, I can tell you that. But, afterwards, I had been granted with the powers of Super Strength, and Bulletproof skin, powers the doctor said could make me more powerful than some of Earth's mightiest heroes. And after a week or two, I was released from prison. My sentence had been mysteriously dropped, and I was on my way home._

"And to be honest, this week has been the weirdest of my entire life" Luke said, ending his tale. "Hmmmm, interesting" Danny said, "Not as good of a story as mine however". "True, but yours was hella long" said Luke, as the two started laughing. When they finally finished, Danny asked "Do you have a place for me to stay?" "Huh?" Luke grumbled, "But you already got one" "Well you see, the previous owner of this apartment died about 2 weeks ago, and no one has noticed, although many employees at this place are starting to get suspicious." Danny explained.

"Oh, it's good. My room is pretty big, and I could hide you somewhere for now" Luke said. "Wait for me outside while I pack up, and we'll head to your place." "Cool" Luke replied, as he began to climb down the treacherous fire escape.

…

The two climbed into Luke's room through the big window silently; Danny quietly unpacked whilst Luke hopped into his bed, almost ready to fall asleep once more. "Hey, Luke?" Danny said, "What should I call you. Like, Lucas or….?" "I was just about to ask the same thing to you, and call me Luke." He responded. "Call me Danny" He said. "You good?" Luke asked.

"Maybe..." Danny started, "Y'know what we should do with our powers? Use them for good, undo the wrongdoings that were done to us." said Danny.

"You mean be like the Avengers?" Luke asked. "Exactly" Danny affirmed, "We can be our own heroes" "But, like, what should we call ourselves?" Luke asked rhetorically. "Ummm, let's think, what would be our motif?" asked Danny. "Protecting citizens while making a profit" Luke said. Danny frowned at him. "WHAT? I'm just saying" Luke said defensively. Danny shook his head some more.

"Wait! I got a name; Heroes for Hire. We could be like bodyguards, but for anyone and everyone" Luke said. "That is….not that bad actually" said Danny, "Really cool". "One more thing" Danny said, "Tomorrow, we take down this Diamondback guy. Whaddya say?" Luke pondered it for a bit, and then decided that it was time.

"Let's do it, but can we go to sleep now?" Luke asked. "Sure" responded Danny and Luke fell asleep instantly. _Isn't it funny how destinies can alter forever because of one happenstance,_ Danny thought to himself, as he too, fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Luke and Danny had breakfast, while Luke explained that his friend was named Daniel Reid, and he was homeless and in need of shelter. The Cages felt sympathy, and decided to let him come and go as he pleased. "Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Cage!" Danny called, as the two walked out the door.

The two were sitting on some benches outside a gas station, when Danny asked, "So, how're we going to find this Stryker guy, Luke?" "You see that skate park across the street? That place is turf for the Rivals. We threaten a goon; we get to the big boss." Luke stated, finishing his soda, before launching the bottle into the recycling bin, and getting up to cross the street.

Danny hurriedly followed, unsure of what to think of this plan. As Luke and Danny crossed into Rival territory, the two noticed that a bunch of loitering thugs started to stand up from their sitting areas, and eye the two men suspiciously. "What do we do now?" Danny whispered to Luke. "Stay quiet, and start beating these guys up when we're ready" Luke whispered back.

There were 10 men in all, all tall, muscular, and awfully threatening. 'Hey **LUKE** " one asked. "Hey Shark" Luke said back. "What are you doing on our turf?" The man questioned, threateningly. "Uhhhhhhh" Luke muttered, trying to think of some excuse. Danny urged him to think quickly, as the man called "Shark" brandished a pretty threatening switch blade.

"You like it?" Shark asked, "Good ol' Diamondback gave this to me, cuz I was a good boy. Not **YOU** however, Luke". "Shit, we're going to get hit" Danny muttered. "That's exactly right" said Shark, smiling menacingly, as he took a swing at Danny. He leaped backwards, propelling himself off a wall behind him.

"CHECK THIS OUT!" called Danny, as he charged up his iron fist, and punched Shark in the face, sending him flying ten feet and hitting a railing. The other gang members fled in fear, cursing all the way. Luke walked over to Shark, and picked him up, shaking him furiously.

"So, 'buddy', are the Rivals still in that old warehouse?" Luke asked calmly, but also menacingly. 'Why do y-" Shark started, but Luke shook him some more, stating "That's not the answer I was looking for, are the Rivals still in the old warehouse?" "Yes, now lemme go!" Shark said, as Luke dropped him. "C'mon Danny, I know exactly where the bastard is"

…

Soon, the two were standing outside the warehouse the Rivals cooped up in. "Now unless Stryker's out screwing up more people's lives, he should be in his office on the top floor." Luke said, "So we'll have to make it past the guards to the elevator" "Sounds easy" stated Danny smugly. "You're not bulletproof" Luke said. 'Oh yeah" said Danny realizing. "I'm okay though, I've gotta human shield" Danny responded, as Luke rolled his eyes.

The two sneaked in through a back entrance Luke remembered, and the two ducked down, Danny stating "I know a thing or two about stealth, follow me". Danny rolled along the floor, ducking behind a large pile of crates; Luke clumsily followed. The two hid there, peering over the edge to see if the coast was clear. Nobody seemed to be anywhere in the expansive room.

"C'mon, quickly" Danny hastily whispered to Luke as the two sprinted for the elevator, when suddenly they heard voices. A door opened up to their left, and 8 armed men entered, holding fast food packages.

Danny and Luke leaped behind another pile of crates, and ducked down, seemingly faster than humanly possible. However, in this feat, Luke knocked over a wrench, which hit the floor with a clang.

"What the-? Who's there?!" One of the men called, as they all brought out SMGs and Rifles. "Goddamn it Luke" Danny muttered, as the two stood up, hands behind their head. "Oh, don't worry guys, it's just Luke" One of the men said, "How're you doing mang!" "Ummmm, fine. Y'know, I'd really like to know if the boss is in now, could you tell me?" Luke inquired, as some of the men brought up their guns.

"I wouldn't trust that traitorous shit" one of the guards said to his superior". "But it's Luke" the man said back. "Seems like you know how to fight now, huh?" This new man said, stepping forward, "Here to take out our boss, by any chance?" "Now, the funny thing is…" Danny started, looking at Luke hesitantly. "Is that you guys look really weak in my eyes now" said Luke, popping his knuckles.

"The hell did you say to us, kid?" One of the goons shouted. "I'll slit your throat for that" another responded. One man charged forward with a knife ready to swing.

Danny simply dodged it, and knocked it out of the man's hand, while performing a joint lock on the man, and knocking him over. Luke charged one man, sending him flying, and then blocked a few punches from another, before picking him up, and throwing him on top of Danny's foe.

Another frightened goon opened fire, and accidentally hit one man coming at Luke. "The fuck?" he whispered, nearly laughing out loud. The two got behind a shipping container, as a barrage of bullets hit it.

"You wanna show me how it's done?" Luke said. "Oh hell yeah" Danny said, iron-fisting the container. It flew through the air, clipping two gunmen on a higher level. They fell to the ground, as the container plowed through the back wall. "Daaaaaamn" Luke said, high-fiving Danny. However, when the two stood up, the remaining three gunmen opened fire.

"That seriously all you got?" Luke shouted smugly, as he walked towards the men. Bullets were veering and ricocheting off of his skin, and flying in crazy directions. "Hold your fire!" One said, but was taken down by a swift high kick from Danny. The other two gunmen were hit by their own cover fire, killing them instantly

"That's what I thought" Luke said. The two finally went to the elevator, and rode it up to the top. "How does it feel to see this guy again?" Danny asked. "Not now" said Luke, as the elevator opened with a *ding* to reveal Diamondback's base of operations.

Suddenly, guns shot out at the two, causing Danny to jump up spread-eagle onto the ceiling, while Luke deflected the bullets. "Woah woah, hold it down fellas" A sinister sounding voice said. "Willis, is that-?" Luke asked, but was interrupted by a "Yes" from the man, stepping forwards now.

"So, **LUKE,** it's 'good to see you'" Stryker said, moving forwards. "Likewise" said Luke, also stepping slowly forwards, "You know why I'm here, don't you?" "Ah yes, little Luke" Stryker said, chuckling a little.

Stryker was an absolutely enormous man. He was so bulky, that his neck had no definite shape. Danny was surprised at the absolute size of this man, and thought that he might be able to beat even Luke.

"So, what haaaaaave you been up to lately?" Luke asked. "Well, let's see…..I killed that stupid bitch Rachel." "You did **WHAT**?!" Luke asked, about ready to kill Stryker. "You know what I said" Stryker said, getting annoyed. "And who's this?" he added, gesturing to Danny. "A friend" Luke angrily responded. "Just wondering, so I know who I'm killing" Stryker said, whipping out a gun. Luke charged Stryker, tackling him across the room.

Stryker got up, and stabbed Luke, but the knife shattered on contact. Stryker looked at this with surprise, asking "So is your friend as strong as you are?" Stryker questioning, kicking Luke in the side, and running towards Danny. He whipped out a knife, and slashed Danny, blood dripping from the wound. Danny roundhouse-kicked him, backing off, and retreating to Luke.

The two henchman decided to join the fight now, firing madly through the room. "I've got em!" Danny called, leaping through the air, and iron-fisting the ground, sending the two goons out of the large window in his office. "What fun!" called Stryker, as he picked up a crowbar off of the wall, and slammed it into Luke's head.

He fell, dazed, and Danny ran to cover for him. He punched Stryker several times, knocking the man down. He looked down at his fists to see many bruises. _Not for long,_ he thought, as he reared up for another iron fist attack. "This shit's getting OLD!" Stryker roared, whipping out two large red knives.

"DANNY! Watch out!" Luke called, getting up. He picked up the crowbar, and charged at Stryker. He swung the crowbar, and it missed its target, denting the wall. "Shoddy" Stryker said, throwing one of his knives down. "Danny! Get out, they're bombs!" Luke said, trying to smother the explosion. The knife went off with a small *poof*, and Luke stood up, with an absent tank top.

"If I can't hurt you on the outside, I can sure as hell hurt you on the inside" Stryker roared, as he grabbed Luke in a choke hold, attempting to force his final knife down Luke's throat. Luke pushed Stryker off, and Stryker recoiled in pain. He looked at Danny, and threw his knife like a boomerang. Danny tried to dodge, but missed, as the knife entered his leg.

"DANNY!" Luke called, as he ran for his friend. He ripped the knife out, and threw it, but it was too late. Stryker stared at the knife, thinking _Fuck me_ , as it went off, sending the three out of the large window, plummeting to the ground 30 feet below.

The explosion wasn't as big as Luke thought it would be, and for some reason he could not feel the heat. In the four seconds or so they had, Luke wrapped around an unconscious Danny to attempt to support him. Luke hit the ground with a loud *thud*, causing a huge crater to form. Stryker hit the ground with a loud squish.

Luke sat there awkwardly for a bit, with Danny in his arms. He heard a siren, and the whir of a helicopter overhead. "Don't worry Danny, I'm going to take you to a hospital" He said to himself, as he staggered away.

…

Luke was sitting by Danny's bed, waiting for him to wake up. He noticed all of the nurse's uniforms had an eagle symbol on them. He shrugged it off as nothing. Suddenly, Danny woke up in a panic, until he noticed where he was. "Where are we?" Danny asked. "A Shield sanctuary, whatever that means." Luke said. The blonde nurse who treated them came back in, and said "OH! You two are awake. That's nice, my name is Carrie. How's it going?" "Is she for real, or like a porno nurse?" Danny asked.

"WHAT THE-?" Carrie roared angrily, and stomped out of the room. She poked her head in one last time, saying "The treatment's on us, thank you for protecting our streets. Goodbye!" "Great job Danny" Luke said, laughing a little. "Sorry" Danny said, laughing a bit himself, "Did we do it? Is he-?" "Yup" replied Luke, "We finally got him".

"C'mon man, let's go. We gotta get back to my parents before they really start to worry" Luke declared, and Danny slowly got up, and ready to go. Their uniforms were in a bag hung on the doorknob, and the two exited.

On the way out, the two heard an awfully familiar voice, and saw a teen strapped to a stretcher, shouted "Dudes! You gotta let me see my Aunt! Besides, you don't have consent!" "What the-?" Luke whispered, and the two saw a familiar red and blue costume in the slightly transparent bag one of the nurses was holding.

"Hey, isn't that the spider guy from before?" Danny whispered. Suddenly, the teen sprung from the stretcher, grabbing his costume, and went web-slinging out of the building. "Follow him!" Both Danny and a nurse said, as everyone in the hall chased after. Luke broke the front door off of its hinges, sending it flying into the parking lot. The teen turned around to see two men, the two men who fought with him all those nights ago.

"What do YOU TWO want?!" he shouted in desperation at them. He shot a web at Luke's knee, and pulled causing him to trip. Then, he leaped onto a car, and started to run. Danny iron-fisted the ground near him, screaming KEE-YAH! The Scarlet Spider flew through the air, through the front of a parked car. _Shit, May is gonna be sooo pissed_ He thought, as Danny approached. Suddenly Luke showed up behind him holding a car, and preparing to throw it at him any second.

"Ummm...truce?" He said. Danny kneeled down in front of this man, and asked "Why are you trying to run?" "You don't understand, these SHIELD guys, they're just trying to get you. Pick you up off the streets, and recruit you to some...program. I can't do that, I got a family" The teen said, hurriedly. Danny stepped back, and pondered, gesturing to Luke to put down the car.

The Scarlet Spider looked around for a second, and suddenly shot a web, and flew away. "HEY! Get back here!" The SHIELD people called. "Wanna get him?" Luke asked. "Let's do it. People who abuse their powers need to be taken in, so beware baddies" Danny said. "The Heroes for Hire are in town!" Luke called, as the two chased after the Scarlet Spider.

Next Time…

Hector Ayala, the White Tiger, is killed by war veteran Gideon Mace, and it's up to Ava Ayala to don the suit, so she can put an end to Mace's evil plans


End file.
